INDIANAPOLIS Colts star Jonathan Taylor showed off his new-look NFL Guardian Cap on Sunday.
The helmets are a scaled-down version of the additional protective helmet that players wear in practice.
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They will be allowed at games for the first time this year and Taylor, 25, was one of the few to take advantage.
Colts tight end Kylen Granson also wore the cap, with Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman James Daniels believed to be the first man to do so on Saturday.
“My head doesn’t hurt, so that’s good,” Daniels said. via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I hope more and more people start using them.”
However, Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Jonathan Greenard wasn’t a fan and responded “yuck” to a photo of Taylor’s appearance.
Fans were also divided over the new helmets, which are designed to help protect against concussions and could become mandatory in the future.
“It looks like a giant diaper on your head,” posted one.
Another asked: “How can a pillowcase prevent concussions?”
“Surely someone can find a way to make it look good. With all the money at the NFL’s disposal, there is no reason for anyone to wear a swim cap over their helmet,” commented a third.
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Many fans were quite pleased with the design and favored the security benefits.
“Good for him. Don’t want to do CTE,” wrote one.
“All players should wear them, IMO. It offers a lot of extra protection,” added another.
“It looks good and I’m sure they will continue to make improvements to the look. Who cares, man,” commented a third.
The new helmets weren’t the only change that made headlines over the weekend.
A safety call in the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars completely confused NFL fans — as well as several people on the field.
Why is the NFL allowing players to wear Guardian Caps?
The NFL announced in April that players will be able to wear extra protective helmets at games to increase player health and safety.
They were designed to reduce the risk of head injuries in high-impact collisions and were introduced into practice in 2022 – leading to a 50% reduction in concussions.
The NFL says they can reduce the force of head contact by 10% if one player is using it and by 20% if all players involved are using it.
“We now have two years of data showing significant reductions in concussions among players who wear Guardian Caps during practice, so players will be able to wear the cap during games next season,” said NFL executive Jeff Miller.
“Additionally, there are new helmets this year that offer as much – if not more – protection than a different helmet model combined with a Guardian Cap.
“These developments represent substantial progress in our efforts to make gaming safer for players.”
NFL players will have 12 new helmets — including eight made specifically for offensive linemen and defensive backs — to choose from next season.
Apparently confused by the new kickoff rules, Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman gave up two points in the last second of the first half of the matchup.
Jaguars kicker Cam Little kicked from the 65-yard line with 26 seconds left in the half.
The ball landed in the end zone, then bounced off the ground and crossed the goal line again.
Hardman ran into the end zone and knelt to catch the ball at the Jacksonville one-yard line.
The referees initially called a touchback, causing Jaguars coach Doug Peterson to protest.
After a review, the referees changed the decision and said the Jags called a safety.
Interestingly, the league website stated that Hardman was “tackled” in the end zone, losing one yard, even though he voluntarily knelt with no Jacksonville players nearby.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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